Bridge repair, paving work to begin in Kingsport on Monday

KINGSPORT — Be mindful when driving in the Lynn Garden neighborhood or on Rock Springs Road next week as construction workers will be out in force taking care of some much needed repairs and improvements.

Beginning on Monday, crews will be working in the West Lynn Garden area and on Rock Springs Road underneath the bridge on Interstate 26. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s taking place at each location.

LYNN GARDEN

W-L Construction and Paving will be doing sub-grade repairs, milling and laying of new asphalt starting Monday. The general area where the work will take place is bordered by Lynn Garden Drive to the east, I-26 to the west, Highpoint Avenue to the north and Tranbarger Drive to the south.

Work is expected to wrap up by the end of November. Signs will mark the construction zones and lane closures. Motorists are asked to use caution in the area during this time.

The cost of the project is just over $1.4 million.

ROCK SPRINGS

On the other end of town, Jamison Construction (of McEwen, Tenn.) will be repairing the bridge on I-26 that crosses over Rock Springs Road. The $536,000 project will also start on Monday and is expected to last until the end of October.

According to Jason Farmer, project supervisor with the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the work involves repairing concrete at various locations on the bridge.

“The bridge took a hit from a dump truck several years ago, so we have some repairs on one of the beams. There’s also some standard repairs that we have to do, taking out some old concrete and putting in new,” Farmer said.

A temporary signal and warning signs have already been installed on Rock Springs Road and the exit ramps.

Mark Nagi, spokesman for TDOT, said motorists should be aware that Rock Springs Road will be reduced to one lane at the I-26 interchange 24/7 throughout the bridge repair project.

Sometime after Labor Day, crews will reduce I-26 in both directions to one lane. Jamison Construction will work 24/7 until the lanes are reopened, Nagi said. Motorists should use extreme caution through this area.